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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25935715">Tie Your Heart to Mine, Love</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/brokenmemento/pseuds/brokenmemento'>brokenmemento</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Harlivy Week 2020 [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harley Quinn (Cartoon 2019)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Established Relationship, F/F, Family, Love, Meeting the Parents, Post Season 2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 05:40:46</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,576</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25935715</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/brokenmemento/pseuds/brokenmemento</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Long ago, Ivy met Harley's parents in their Brooklyn home. Now, she finds herself going to New York with Harley for a very different reason-meeting the parents again as Harley's girlfriend. </p><p>//<br/>Post season 2 of the show<br/>Harlivy week prompt: Author's choice</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Pamela Isley &amp; Harleen Quinzel, Pamela Isley/Harleen Quinzel, Poison Ivy/Harley Quinn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Harlivy Week 2020 [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1879858</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>80</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Tie Your Heart to Mine, Love</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Just...remember the part where I said I was an AMATEUR artist. K, thxs. lol.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There are two things on the itinerary today and Ivy doesn’t want to do either of them. </p><p>But this is how things are now, she guesses. She just never expected to be doing this again so soon. Or like, ever again. Looking over at Harley death gripping the steering wheel until her knuckles turn even whiter, a softness rears its head in Ivy. </p><p>Reaching over, she lays her hand atop Harley’s, giving her fingers the best squeeze she can. “It’s going to be okay,” she assures. (She has no fucking clue if it will. This isn’t her thing at all)</p><p>“You know, it’s just the last time I saw my Ma and Dad, I was getting the shit beat out of me.” Harley turns to look at Ivy. “By them.”</p><p>Ivy sighs and leans back against the seat. “So remind me why we are doing this? I mean, if they suck, which it sounds like they do even worse than the last time I saw them, why even bother?”</p><p>“Because the last time I was home, my Ma kept going on and on about how much I had disappointed her and how I should just move back to be a psychiatrist and only do evil stuff on weekends,” Harley starts spilling out with agitation lining her words. </p><p>Ivy doesn’t know how to comfort her really. She’s got her own past, an emotionally distant mother and a physically abusive father. They’ve both come from fucked up families and maybe that makes Ivy all the more determined to make things with Harley work. To show her the love she never got. To be a healthy focal point in her life. </p><p>“She also said she wanted me to marry a doctor,” Harley says this looking ahead, choosing not to meet Ivy’s eyes with that little morsel she’s just divulged. </p><p>Ivy pours out a laughing scoff but stops when Harley glares at her. “What?”</p><p>“I mean, you’re a doctor. What she says shouldn’t matter and…” Oh. <em> Oh </em> . “And I’m the doctor,” Ivy nods, understanding now. <em> But we aren’t </em>...</p><p>It comes out even though she’d meant for it to just be a silent thought. “I know, Ive. But you’re the best thing that’s happened to me. And even though they’ve met you before, I just want to show them that I can do real good and that I have the hottest, smartest, most badass girl by my side.”</p><p>“So what you’re saying is you wanna throw your success in their faces,” Ivy tries to translate. She’s said this before, about Harley and her involvement in the Legion of Doom. <em> Now it’s about her involvement with me.  </em></p><p>“The old me mighta said that, but no. That’s not it at all,” Harley shakes her head. “I’m so proud of you. I’m proud to <em> be </em> with you. I want them to know I’m happy.”</p><p>It’s been interesting the last few years. To have a heart but not really pay much attention to it in the beginning only to then not be able to go a second without it reminding Ivy of the feelings she’s experiencing. It never fails to surprise her, the way it almost feels like it shifts or expands beyond what she thought it could. </p><p>“Harley…”</p><p>She grins. “The you being a sexy ass doctor is the bonus.” </p><p>And there it is.</p><p>Ivy swats at her but Harley catches her hand and kisses it, pressing her lips to the green knuckles. For someone so chaotic and crazy, Harley is surprisingly tender and romantic. <em> Her </em> added bonus, she supposes, to loving her best friend. </p><p>They cross into the South Slope neighborhood. How both of Harley’s parents managed to end up in a holding center while awaiting trial for the myriad of things they’ve done (sweet and dear old dad shooting his daughter for one) in one of the most LQBTQI neighborhoods in all of New York City is a perfect sort of irony Ivy let’s calm her nerves a bit. </p><p>It’s been years since she’s seen the Quinzels. The first time Harley had dragged Ivy back to her home, Ivy had sat over a tense meal where they’d done a lot of pretentious overacting to try and convince her they were the picture-perfect family. Harley had zoned out about halfway through and Ivy had grabbed her hand under the table and squeezed. </p><p>Harley walked Ivy out that night, something heavy hanging in the air, not only from the meal but from something between them too. It had been there since Arkham, ever since she’d saved Harleen from the Joker in the forest. </p><p>“Hey, thanks for coming, Ive,” Harley had looked down at her feet while rubbing the back of her neck with her hand. “I know I have a fucked up family…”</p><p>“We all do,” Ivy shrugged, not trying to minimize things but to empathize. That thing Harley had taught her. </p><p>“You just drove all this way and the night should have gone so much better and…”</p><p>Ivy had ascended the steps and pressed her lips firmly to Harley’s cheek. There had been tears there, ones she tasted when she licked her lips. Harley was embarrassed. </p><p>“I’m fucked up so, it’s nice to be able to bring someone home who isn’t the same as me. I never thought I’d be able to do that,” Harley’s smile didn’t reach her blue eyes. </p><p><em> I’m made of literal poison. I’ve killed people too. </em> To think that the umbrella for which Harley judged life didn’t include Ivy underneath it was a shock. </p><p>“You ready, babe?” </p><p>Ivy shakes her head a little to fizzle the memory. “If I say no, are you going to dump me?”</p><p>Harley actually laughs. “Yeah fuckin’ right. You’re stuck with me.”</p><p>They climb the steps to the detention center and open the double doors. Ivy is a little nervous because they’re felons too. Under no circumstance does she want either of them to end up back in that shithole Arkham. Harley had assured everything was in order though. </p><p>The lump in her throat is massive already by the time they hand over their very fake ids with credentials to another life they totally aren’t living. The guard stares at them both and Ivy begins to sweat. What the fuck are they doing?</p><p>“Ms. Witherbee, Ms. Staplebuntkin. Enjoy ya visit and make sure ta keep ya passes displayed at all times," the guard slides the passes beneath the thick plastic partition. </p><p>Ivy grimaces out a smile and waves it as Harley grabs her by the jacket and drags her through the metal detector. Thankfully, it doesn’t go off. </p><p>“Heather and Izzadora, huh?” Ivy raises an eyebrow. She’d paled her skin to look like the ID photo, the one of her alter ego from a year ago. <em> Has it only been a year? </em> “You couldn’t have gotten us better aliases than the ones we used at Riddle U?”</p><p>“College was no fun,” Harley whines. “We owed it to them to reinvent them.” </p><p>Ivy rolls her eyes and follows Harley down a long hallway to the visiting area of the detention center. The small cubicle-like space reminds Ivy of Arkham’s setup and she hates it immediately. </p><p>“There’s only one chair,” she points out the obvious, and Harley yanks one out from the next space and slides it with a grating noise across the floor. </p><p>Ivy winces and takes a seat, Harley settling in beside her. She picks up the phone and presses a slip of paper up to the glass roughly. “Nick or Sharon Quinzel. Whichever asshole you want to bring in first.” </p><p>The guard looks at her blankly for a minute before mumbling into his shoulder walkie. Ivy takes the opportunity to lean into Harley. </p><p>“Could you tone it down a bit maybe? Let’s just make this run as smoothly as possible so we can get this over with and leave,” Ivy whispers while holding onto Harley’s tricep. </p><p>A buzzer sounds and Nick Quinzel walks through the door. Ivy leans back quickly when his eyes narrow and he plops down in the chair in front of him. He stares them down but eventually picks up the phone. </p><p>“Harleen,” his raspy voice grounds out. </p><p>“Dad,” Harley greets. But he isn’t looking at Harley. He’s looking directly at Ivy. “Dad, you remember Ivy, right?”</p><p>A grin breaks out onto his face. “Of course. How could I forget having such a celebrity at dinner? Back then, I didn’t know exactly who you were other than a friend of my baby girl’s. But now? Wow, Poison Ivy. You have quite a reputation.”</p><p>“As if you haven’t done way worse shit,” Harley smacks the glass with the plastic phone roughly. </p><p>Ivy jumps and shoots an arm out to calm her. The guard yells and threatens to throw them out, but Ivy manages to soothe Harley back into some version of contentment. Nick watches the whole thing with the eyes of a hawk.</p><p>“So, Poison Ivy. Looks like my daughter has managed to convince you she’s worth having a sex life with,” he laughs into the phone. </p><p>Ivy grabs the phone from Harley’s hand. “Look, Mr. Quinzel.”</p><p>“Call me Nick. Or Pops. After all, you’re sleeping with my daughter.”</p><p>“Okay, that’s never going to happen,” Ivy says in exasperation and disbelief. She holds the phone away from her face so both she and Harley may speak into it. “What I have with Harley is way beyond just sex. She’s my best friend. She’s my person. And I don't know where I would be without her.”</p><p>Harley grabs the phone away. “And I just wanted you to know before you rot in prison that I finally found someone who makes me feel good about myself and my life and that I’m real happy.” She stands up and taps on the glass just as loud as she did with the phone. “You can take him! I’m done.”</p><p>Ivy watches as she points a finger at her dad. Well, then. She’s spent an entire evening with the Quinzels. Expecting anything other than this was incredibly naive of her. </p><p>She watches as the guards come and get him, no other words spoken between any of them. Harley starts to wave goodbye but then throws up her middle finger as he disappears. Falling back into her seat, she puts her arm around Ivy’s chair, leaning back.</p><p>The muscles in her abdomen flex with her movements and Ivy watches them move with too interested eyes. This isn’t the time and place to have such thoughts so she tries to get rid of them before Harley notices. Of course, she does though. Now it’s her turn to lean in.</p><p>“When we get out of here, can you please take me home and fuck me so hard?” Teeth graze Ivy’s ear and she actually groans. </p><p>“Stop,” Ivy warns and backs away, sending a glare to her girlfriend. <em> Yeah, my fucking girlfriend. I must be crazy. </em>Tilting her head to the side, she sighs. </p><p>Sharon Quinzel walks through the door then, looking a little worse for wear. When she sees Harley though, something genuine fills her face and she grabs the phone with shaking hands. </p><p>“Harleen, honey,”’ she says in a watery voice. Turning, she extends the same smile to Ivy. “And Ivy, dear. So good to see you again after all these years.”</p><p>Ivy glances over to Harley who is pursing her lips and a skeptical look crosses the rest of her features. Ivy clears her throat. “It’s good to see you again, Mrs. Quinzel.”</p><p>“Oh, no need for such formalities. Call me Sharon,” the woman smiles while placing a hand on her chest in a gesture of being touched that she went to the trouble. </p><p><em> Also never going to happen. </em>“Of course” is what she says instead. </p><p>“So Harley, baby. I was surprised to hear about your visit. The last time we saw one another, things didn’t end on sucha good note,” her mother’s brows furrow. </p><p>Harley turns to Ivy then, choosing to not address her mom. “The reason for that is she let my dad fuckin’ shoot me and then proceed ta kick my ass all across tha house,” she smiles sarcastically and rests her chin in both of her palms. </p><p>“Can you blame me? A million dollars would have helped us outta lot! And like I said, people had spit on us and treated us like garbage because you were runnin around with that Joka character.”</p><p>“Well, Ma, you don’t gotta worry about that anymore because I got me a gorgeous doc like you requested,” Harley retorts, grabbing Ivy’s hand and holding it up. </p><p>“Surprise,” Ivy shrugs and smiles nervously. </p><p>“When you say ‘got,’ you mean…” she trails off, clearly not getting it. </p><p>Oh, dear. “Uh, okay. What Harley is trying to tell you…” Ivy finds she’s going exceptionally slow. </p><p>“WE. ARE. DATING,” Harley stresses every syllable, punctuates every word. “We sleep in the same bed and kiss each other on the mouth and drive one another crazy, but she’s my lady, and if you have something ta say about that…”</p><p>“I mean, it’s not exactly how I saw your life going…”</p><p>“...neither was you letting dad shoot me, beat the shit outta me, having him throw my gymnastics competition in college…” Harley ticks off with her fingers.</p><p>Sharon cuts in again. “But you being a homosexual is probably the least jaw-dropping thing that’s happened in this family.”</p><p>“We’re bisexual, actually…” Ivy mutters and looks at Harley. “Right? You’re still into guys?” </p><p>“I only have eyes for you, honestly,” Harley puts a finger to her chin in faux contemplation. </p><p>“Alright, romantic ass. You know what I mean,” Ivy rolls her eyes. Harley bursts into a grin that bursts Ivy’s heart.</p><p>And yeah, that’s a thing now too. </p><p>“Yeah, I do. But I love you and that’s all that matters.”</p><p>It’s the sappiest shit ever and she can’t believe she’s leaning over to kiss Harley in a fucking detention center while her mom watches. But it feels...good. It was hard being in love with Harley every day and not getting to say anything. At having to pretend she wasn’t. </p><p>“I love you too, hon,” Ivy smiles. </p><p>“Well, then Mazeltov! And Harleen, Ivy is a beautiful woman,” Sharon holds up a finger. “It’d be nice if you didn’t screw it all to bits, you know? </p><p>Harley frowns. “Okay, Ma. I got it.”</p><p>“And God willing, I won’t be locked up if the two of you decide to get hitched,” she smiles broadly. “Same-sex marriages can happen now, you know?”</p><p>“They have been for nine years, but thanks for the vote of confidence. We’ll let you know,” Harley stands abruptly and grabs Ivy’s hand to pull her up. “Good luck at trial, Ma.”</p><p>No goodbye, no I love you. Ivy supposes that’s just the way the Quinzels are. The old her wouldn’t have cared. The one that loves Harley lets it break her heart. </p><p>*****************</p><p>They take the Belt Parkway and venture to Coney Island. Ivy agrees to it because even though the meeting with Harley’s parents hadn’t gone as horrible as she’d imagined, Harley had still looked dejected leaving. </p><p>Ivy assumes it’s worse to have parents who are still around and are pieces of shit than ones who were pieces of shit before and have since died. That’s why she agrees to the loud chaos of the boardwalk as opposed to crossing the river and finding their way back to Gotham. </p><p>“Can you believe I used to see myself living here?” Harley motions around at the sprawling spread of people between bites of the hot dog she picked up at Nathan’s. <em> Too many fucking people.</em> “I’d get a place, cause a little havoc, be by the ocean and the lights and fun.”</p><p>Ivy watches as she closes her eyes and spins. A bit of beer in her cup from Coney Island Brewery sloshes out and Ivy reaches over to hold it along with her own. “And leave Gotham? I didn’t know you had it in you.”</p><p>“It’s home now, sure, but don’t you ever get tired of it? Maybe want to be somewhere else to breathe a little while?” Harley shovels in the rest of her food, pirouettes and grabs her beer back. </p><p>“Literally all the time,” Ivy shakes her head at the scene Harley is creating. But she’s happy and somehow, that’s all that matters. </p><p>“Well, we aren’t stuck there, ya know.”</p><p>“No, yeah. I mean...I know that. I just never saw myself staying in Gotham long term either,” Ivy shrugs. Her heel meets a little resistance on a splattered piece of gum. <em> But not this place either.  </em></p><p>“So you wouldn’t come visit me if I moved here?” </p><p>The question should be innocuous. It shouldn’t hurt. But they’ve just told Harley’s parents about being together. Somehow, the query makes Ivy feel like she’s about to get left again. She rolls her shoulders, takes a larger than necessary gulp of her drink. </p><p>“Do you have plans or something that I don’t know about?” Ivy finds herself grousing.</p><p>She’s not controlling enough to tell Harley what she can do. Nor does she feel she has a right to dictate her future. She just thought that maybe that future included her now too. <em> Stupid feelings. </em></p><p>The question never gets answered because Harley squeals when she sees a particularly sparkly fanny pack literally no one would ever need and she wraps it around her hips, peeling a baseball cap off another rack and a floppy hat she deposits on Ivy’s head. </p><p>“Now we’re ready,” she pulls her pigtails out, redoes them into a quick ponytail, and puts the baseball cap on her head, pulling Ivy along. </p><p>“Jesus, for what, Harls?” Ivy has to work to keep up the pace. </p><p>There’s a small photo booth sitting in the middle of the boardwalk nearby. Harley throws back the blue curtain after pushing a few bills in the slot. Wrapping an arm around Ivy’s waist, she pulls them both into the tight space. The camera shows their faces and Ivy can’t help but frown, still in a mood from a minute ago. </p><p>“Smile, Ive,” she grins and pokes Ivy in the cheek as the first one flashes. The proof comes up on the screen. </p><p>“The fuck? Don’t do that! Be happy!” Harley commands. Flash. The next one comes out similar, minus getting poked in the face. </p><p>“You know, normally people make silly faces or kiss for these things. You’re harshing the vibe a little here,” Harley says with a hint of exasperation creeping into her voice. </p><p>“You mean like you killed my vibe when you talked about moving? I mean, shit Harley. You just introduced me as your girlfriend to your parents. Almost in the next breath, you’re moving to Coney Island and going to get a place and...maybe a new crew and a fucking dog or whatever else. Probably another random ass animal too, like a beaver or something.”</p><p>“Is that what this is about? I was just daydreamin, babe.”</p><p>Ivy’s voice is small. “I just thought I might be a part of that now.” </p><p>“I don’t want to assume things. You’ve had that happen before, someone having big ideas that included you even if it wasn’t your thing,” Harley responds. The pictures are long over now. They’re probably shit. “And of course you’re in my daydreams, my night dreams, my wet dreams…”</p><p>“God, Harley…”</p><p>“My point is, I just want you to choose with me. I don’t want to force you. Not ever. But you’re always in my plans. We’re a team, we have been and will be, no matter what.”</p><p>Ivy nods, feeling a little better. This heart stuff is absolute shit to navigate. </p><p>“Now can we please take a picture with you makin’ out with me or something?” Harley begs and Ivy can’t help but acquiesce. She pays this time since the last ones were probably her fault. </p><p>The flash goes off four times. They make duck faces in the first one, throw their middle fingers up in the second, hang their mouths open for the third one, and press together passionately for the last, Ivy raking her fingers up and down the back of Harley’s neck as they kiss, nails scratching a little. </p><p>They back away breathing heavily after a few moments, expelled air mingling still. They offer small smiles to one another, but Ivy sucks in a breath when Harley moves a strand of red hair behind her ear. </p><p>“You’re one of the only people I’ve ever uttered ‘I love you’ to in my entire life,” Harley whispers. </p><p>Somehow, Ivy knows it’s true. Harley’s parents haven’t received it hardly, if ever. Ivy is sure it hasn’t been given to Harley that often either. No dead (beat) brother telling it, the wrong types of people always around her to speak it. She’d venture to say her previous relationship never contained that word either. </p><p>And while Ivy has been lonely most of her life, at least she’s felt love briefly. Harley, however, has been surrounded her entire life and never experienced that. Ivy finds herself grabbing both of Harley’s cheeks with her hands and pulling their foreheads together tightly. </p><p>“I love you, I love you, I love you,” Ivy murmurs, kisses Harley again, over and over. It’s never enough. It never will be. “Don’t ever forget it.”</p><p>Harley closes her eyes and smiles. “I won’t, Red. I won’t.”</p><p> </p><p>
  
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